University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Bank of Tennessee at Blackthorn
Vols Take Early Lead
October 13, 2012 | Men's Golf
Oct. 13, 2012
The Tennessee men's golf team came to play on Friday. The Vols are currently first after the first round of play at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at Blackthorn Club, as Tennessee shot an 8-under (280) on the day.
Not only are the Vols sitting atop the team leaderboard, but Tennessee also has the first place individual of the tournament. The Vols have finally started to golf the way that head coach Jim Kelson knew they were capable of playing.
Senior Rick Lamb had a stellar first day, which resulted in him being tied for first after shooting a 5-under (67). Additionally, freshman Michael Nagy continues his consistent play by shooting a 2-under (70), which put him in a tie for fourth place.
The other team tied with Tennessee is state rival, Memphis. They are tied for both the team and individual lead after the first day of play. Lamb and Memphis' Grant Milner shot 5-under for the first round and lead Milner's teammate Will Perason by one shot. On the team leaderboard, Tennessee and Memphis lead by four shots over Virginia and by five shots over ranked opponents Wake Forest (#21) and Missouri (#12).
The play of the day came on the 228 yard, par-3 16th hole when UNC-Wilmington's Stefan Brewer hit a hole-in-one.
The Volunteers went with the starting lineup of Rick Lamb, Jay Vandeventer, Marshall Talkington, Thomas Dunne, and Michael Nagy for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
Kelson also brought along freshman Chad Merzbacher to compete as an individual for the Vols. By playing as an individual, Merzbacher's score will not count toward the Tennessee team score. However, he is still eligible to play for the individual championship, in addition to gaining valuable experience.
Saturday's second round begins at 8:30 a.m. ET, with Tennessee opening play at 11 a.m. when Marshall Talkington tees off alongside golfers from Pepperdine and Virginia Tech. Freshman Chad Merzbacher, who is playing as an individual, will be teeing off at 9 a.m.
Saturday's weather forecast for Jonesborough, Tenn., looks to be mainly sunny. The temperature should be in the upper 60s, with a high of 69 degrees. The winds will be blowing from south to southeast at 5-10 mph.
Volunteer fans can keep up with the action on Golfstat.com.
Fans can also stay updated by following @Vol_Golf on Twitter.
| TEAM SCORES (Through Completed Round 1) | ||
| T-1. | TENNESSEE | 280 (-8) |
| T-1. | Memphis | 280 (-8) |
| 3. | Virginia | 284 (-4) |
| T-4. | Wake Forest | 285 (-3) |
| T-4. | Missouri | 285 (-3) |
| 6. | East Tennessee State | 288 (E) |
| T-7. | Virginia Tech | 289 (+1) |
| T-7. | UNCW | 289 (+1) |
| T-7. | Army | 289 (+1) |
| 10. | Coastal Carolina | 291 (+3) |
| 11. | Penn State | 294 (+6) |
| 12. | Pepperdine | 295 (+7) |
| 13. | Furman | 302 (+14) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (Through 1st Round) | ||
| T-1. | Rick Lamb, TENNESSEE | 67 (-5) |
| T-1. | Grant Milner, Memphis | 67 (-5) |
| 3. | Will Pearson, Memphis | 68 (-4) |
| T-4. | Michael Nagy, TENNESSEE | 70 (-2) |
| T-4. | Jace Long, Missouri | 70 (-2) |
| UT SCORES (Through 1st Round) | ||
| T-1. | Rick Lamb | 67 (-5) |
| T-4. | Michael Nagy | 70 (-2) |
| T-12. | Jay Vandeventer | 71 (-1) |
| T-22. | Chad Merzbacher | 72 (E) |
| T-22. | Thomas Dunne | 72 (E) |
| T-39. | Marshall Talkington | 73 (+1) |
